A Message from a Resident on North Street., Portland.
Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund (PPMEAF) is proud to endorse an important campaign to protect absentee voting in Maine: Save Maine Absentee Voting.
The campaign centers on a ballot measure question that Maine voters will weigh on in November. The referendum question, which will appear as Question 1 on statewide ballots this year, is a dangerour attack on democracy and an attempt to make it harder for Mainers, especially people in rural areas and those with disabilities to vote.
PPMEAF joins more than three dozen organizations throughout the state who stand in opposition to dismantling the state’s absentee voting laws, which have for years made Maine a leader in ensuring fair, secure and acccessible elections.
“This measure is an attack on a fair and accessible election system in our state. Forty percent of Maine voters cast absentee ballots in the last election and the proponents of Question 1 want to take that option away from so many Mainers who might have difficulty exercising their right to vote without it. It is not lost on us that the majority of Mainers support access to abortion and related care and have elected to the statehouse a pro-reproductive rights majority twice since the US Supreme Court overtured Roe vs. Wade. People opposed to abortion know they are not aligned with Maine values, so they’re employing measures like Question 1 to try and suppress Mainers’ abiity to vote,” said Lisa Margulies, Esq. VP of Public Affairs for PPMEAF.
Her statement continues: “Make no mistake. There is a direct connection between this attempt to make it harder for Mainers to exercise their right to vote and efforts to eliminate Mainers’ ability to make decisions about their own bodies, lives and futures. We are proud to stand with so many other leaders and champions of democracy in opposition of Question 1. We urge everyone who cares about free and fair elections and about reproductive rights to vote NO on Question 1.”
David Farmer, Campaign Manager, Save Maine Absentee Voting said: “Our campaign is proud to have this endorsement. Planned Parenthood is an organization that serves folks from all walks of life. They are often the first line of support to connect people with the services they need. We agree that Maine laws should protect the rights of all Mainers, period. We look forward to working together over the coming weeks to defeat Question 1 and save absentee voting.”